Discontinued Operations Assets and Liabilities Held for Sale (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jul. 31, 2015	Oct. 31, 2014
Income Statement Balance Sheet And Additional Disclosures By Disposal Groups Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Accounts receivable, net	$ 6,538	$ 11,012
Inventories	7,562	25,876
Prepaid expenses	298	829
Deferred income tax benefits	0	1,351
Income tax refundable	0	2,378
Current Assets of Businesses Held for Sale	14,398	41,446
Net property, plant and equipment	22,141	28,893
Intangibles, net	7,855	41,214
Deferred income tax benefits	0	(30)
Other assets	1,562	1,600
Non-Current Assets of Businesses Held for Sale	31,558	71,677
Accounts payable	6,922	9,393
Accrued liabilities	1,963	4,798
Current Liabilities of Businesses Held for Sale	8,885	14,191
Deferred income tax liabilities	1,795	18,864
Other liabilities	64	12
Non-Current Liabilities of Businesses Held for Sale	1,859	18,876
Net Assets of Businesses Held for Sale	35,212	80,056
Avionics & Controls
Income Statement Balance Sheet And Additional Disclosures By Disposal Groups Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Accounts receivable, net	1,589	5,154
Inventories	2,451	12,646
Prepaid expenses	21	408
Deferred income tax benefits	0	671
Income tax refundable	0	0
Current Assets of Businesses Held for Sale	4,061	18,879
Net property, plant and equipment	5,324	4,949
Intangibles, net	950	22,228
Deferred income tax benefits	0	0
Other assets	0	0
Non-Current Assets of Businesses Held for Sale	6,274	27,177
Accounts payable	1,533	2,194
Accrued liabilities	506	1,765
Current Liabilities of Businesses Held for Sale	2,039	3,959
Deferred income tax liabilities	0	11,084
Other liabilities	64	0
Non-Current Liabilities of Businesses Held for Sale	64	11,084
Net Assets of Businesses Held for Sale	8,232	31,013
Sensors & Systems
Income Statement Balance Sheet And Additional Disclosures By Disposal Groups Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Accounts receivable, net	0	3,752
Inventories	0	7,972
Prepaid expenses	0	86
Deferred income tax benefits	0	680
Income tax refundable	0	0
Current Assets of Businesses Held for Sale	0	12,490
Net property, plant and equipment	0	4,105
Intangibles, net	0	10,659
Deferred income tax benefits	0	(30)
Other assets	0	0
Non-Current Assets of Businesses Held for Sale	0	14,734
Accounts payable	0	873
Accrued liabilities	0	1,008
Current Liabilities of Businesses Held for Sale	0	1,881
Deferred income tax liabilities	0	6,243
Other liabilities	0	0
Non-Current Liabilities of Businesses Held for Sale	0	6,243
Net Assets of Businesses Held for Sale	0	19,100
Advanced Materials
Income Statement Balance Sheet And Additional Disclosures By Disposal Groups Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Accounts receivable, net	4,949	2,106
Inventories	5,111	5,258
Prepaid expenses	277	335
Deferred income tax benefits	0	0
Income tax refundable	0	2,378
Current Assets of Businesses Held for Sale	10,337	10,077
Net property, plant and equipment	16,817	19,839
Intangibles, net	6,905	8,327
Deferred income tax benefits	0	0
Other assets	1,562	1,600
Non-Current Assets of Businesses Held for Sale	25,284	29,766
Accounts payable	5,389	6,326
Accrued liabilities	1,457	2,025
Current Liabilities of Businesses Held for Sale	6,846	8,351
Deferred income tax liabilities	1,795	1,537
Other liabilities	0	12
Non-Current Liabilities of Businesses Held for Sale	1,795	1,549
Net Assets of Businesses Held for Sale	$ 26,980	$ 29,943